Jalopy Wikia:Chat guidelines
: The majority of text on this page was copied from Community Central's Chat Guidelines, and has been modified for use on the Jalopy wiki. on the Jalopy wiki is a great place to start a discussion about the game, or get help with an aspect about the game. It can also serve as a way to get the attention of local staff if one is online. Chat Guidelines We want to make a welcoming and helpful place for new and returning visitors. In order to best provide an environment to give help and support to users who need it, please keep in mind the following guidelines when using chat: * Be polite - Everyone else on chat is a Wikia user just like you! Speak to them as you would want to be spoken to yourself. Real people use these sites, so treat them as you would someone in person. Don't swear, use vulgarities, insult users, or tell people to shut up - even when no bad words are used, it isn't a nice thing to do. Be excellent to each other. * Be welcoming - New users join Wikia every day! Remember when you were a newbie? Everyone is welcome to the Jalopy wiki, regardless of what community they're from or what language they speak. * Be helpful - Make sure to pay attention to other users, but build constructive conversations, and keep role-playing to a minimum. Feel free to offer help if a user joins to ask questions. Talking about your cute puppy is fine, but if someone is asking for help, please take off-topic conversations to private messages. * Be patient - You may ask a question when no one is around to answer it. If no one appears to be active, stick around for a while or try coming back later. The chat's not dead, it's resting! If you're looking for local staff, please use the staff page and message one of them. If you are looking for Wikia staff or the VSTF, please use or the VSTF Wiki. Jalopy admins and chatmods look after the Jalopy wiki and cannot help you with your block on other communities. * Be a catalyst - If nobody's talking, try bringing up something you want to discuss. Need help with something? Seen any good movies? Have an awesome day at school or work? These are all are good starting points for conversation. * Don't flood or disrupt the chatroom - Doing so makes it difficult for users to communicate and answer questions, as messages quickly disappear. This includes (but is not limited to) typing random letters, typing each word of a sentence on a different line, excessive use of the /me command, creating ASCII art, or lines in ALL CAPS. PLEASE DON'T SHOUT! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ * Don't try to replace the moderators - You're free to let users know of the chat guidelines, but please do not tell them what to do or not to do. If there are moderators present and active in chat, it is their responsibility to give warnings to users. Be sure it doesn't seem as though you are trying to take the role of a moderator. * Feel free to tell people about your wikia - But please keep in mind that not everyone may be interested in your wikia's subject. You may need to look for fellow fans elsewhere, then you can bring them back to Jalopy! You can also put a link to it on your profile to make it more visible. Please don’t link directly to your chat, link to the wikia instead. * Keep it fun! - Chat should be fun for all participants. Chat is a great tool for meeting great people and building communities! So relax, enjoy yourself, and help others have a good time, too! Chatmods Sometimes the chatmods may ask you to move on from a topic. This might be because it's likely to cause argument (like some religious or political conversations) or make the environment uncomfortable to others (like using the chatroom as a dating site or canoodling nook). Please listen to the mods and drop a topic if you are asked to. If a user bothers you, feel free to block their private messages. If "you" are blocked from PMing someone, it means they do not want to talk to you there. Please respect their wishes. Admins and chatmods cannot monitor PMs, and we do not accept screenshots (because they can be faked). So while it's okay to report a PM problem, simply blocking PMs is best. If many people in the channel are having the same issue, then please report that to the chatmods. At all times, please comply with admin, mod and chatmod requests. If you don't, it may result in a warning which may lead to you being kicked or banned from Chat. Chatmod Guidelines * Be a Facilitator - As a Jalopy chatmod, your primary focus is on encouraging conversation, supporting users and, in general, making sure the Jalopy chat is a positive and welcoming environment for all. The ideal chatmod is encouraging, and helps people feel supported and empowered. Chatmods are not police, they are guides and try to move the channel gently towards being a better place for all. * Be Friendly - The most important role of a chat moderator is in setting the tone of the channel. If you are friendly and welcoming, others will follow your lead. If others in the channel are rude or confrontational, always react calmly and politely. Avoid responding in the same manner they have, even if provoked. * Assume Good Faith - Since Jalopy is open for members to contribute to, users of all skill levels and opinions are welcome to participate. There may be users who join the Jalopy chat who are unfamiliar with what being in a joint chatroom is like - assume that these users want to be a part of the discussion and that any mistake they make is just that - a mistake. Be kind in your correction and offer education to them. * Be a Leader - The best leaders lead by example - in communications, in supporting new users, in offering assistance to all, and in facilitating conversation within the Jalopy chat. Chat moderators are not "in charge" of the channel, but represent the community and Wikia as leaders. * Kickban with great care - Kickbanning should never be your first option when facing a challenging person in the Jalopy chat. Kickbans should be used only in extreme circumstances; kickbanning is NOT a tool to "handle" someone you find annoying. Everyone is welcome in the Jalopy chat. * Keep it fun - Chat should be fun for all participants - including chatmods! If you find yourself getting stressed, it's always OK to take a break. Chat is a great tool for meeting great people and building the community. So relax, enjoy yourself, and help others have a good time, too! __FORCETOC__